Airport menu signal strength

I'm wondering why I can't see my wifi network signal strength in Airport menu when I am at home on an Airport Extreme router, but when I'm at work on a Linksys router I can?
See the following link for a visual explanation.
files.me.com/jefflessard/ynayiw
any help is appreciated,
regards,
Jeff

J-F wrote:
I'm wondering why I can't see my wifi network signal strength in Airport menu when I am at home on an Airport Extreme router, but when I'm at work on a Linksys router I can?
That is a little odd. The signal strength is described numerically by the value of "RSSI" and is shown graphically by the fan in the menu bar, but there is no fan to the right of the network name. What do you see if you use your mouse to follow the right-pointing triangle to the right of "Airport"?

Similar Messages

How to increase Airport Extreme signal strength

I post this in the way of advice, which anyone is free to accept or ignore.
I recently switched to Comcast ("triple play") from an in-complex Ethernet internet system. On my Mac Pro (MP), using speedtest.net, I attained download speeds of at least 22 Mbps. Very fast, I must say. However, I noticed that my Mac Book Pro (MBP) speeds were considerably slower, sometimes only a tenth of those on the MP. I am happy to report that after some reconfiguration I'm attaining almost identical speeds between the MP and MBP. What did I do?
I had initially configured the Airport Extreme (AEx) to operate at 802.11n with 5 Ghz only. Using iStumbler, I discovered that my signal strength was a bit under 60% and the "noise" was 13%. Other wireless devices appearing in the iStumbler window (we live in a downtown apartment complex) showed the "noise" levels at 9%--across the board. I fiddled with the location of my cordless phone (5.4 GHz) and even disconnected it. There was no change in the noise level. I moved the MBP up against the AEx and, while the signal strength increased, upwards of 70%, the noise level remained the same--at 13%.
So, I reconfigured the AEx to 802.11n (b/g compatible). Voila. Not only did the noise drop to 9%, just like the other devices, but the download speeds on the MBP zoomed to around 20 Mbps, or just about the same as the MP.
Too boost the MBP speeds even further I set up an Airport Express (AE) right next to where I use my MBP. I configured it to extend my wireless network.
By the way, I have my MP connected directly to the AEx via Ethernet. The AEx is directly connected to the cable modem. I configured my wireless network as "closed," using interference robustness. I left the multicast rate in default mode, which is 2 Mbps. Transmit power is at 100%.
What I seemed to have learned from this experience is NOT to use the 5 GHz only setting on an AEx, if one wants maximum Internet download speeds. (This seems counterintuitive, I know, because the theoretical limit of 5 GHz is 300 Mbps under 802.11n and "only" 54 Mbps using the 2.5 GHz setting.)

Purchase another Apple AirPort Base Station such as the $99 Express to "wirelessly extend" your AirPort wireless network.

Airport Extreme signal strength problem

My airport extreme's signal is very weak by the time it gets to the other end of my house, and a couple of computers at that end have been using my neighbor's unsecured wifi for their internet connection. How can I extend or strengthen the broadcast? Is there a setting in the airport utility app? The computers affected are windows xp computers. My iMac and Vista pc are connected via the ethernet cable, so they're not using wifi.

Welcome to the discussion area!
Wireless signal strength dissipates quite quickly with distance and any obstructions such as walls or ceilings will make this effect even more noticeable.
If you have a newer dual band AirPort Extreme and you want to extend both bands for greater wireless coverage using wireless only, then you'll need to look at another dual band AirPort Extreme.
The AirPort Express can also be configured to extend your wireless network, but it will only extend one band.
The extending device would normally be located at approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the distance between your main router and the area that needs more wireless coverage.
Post back if you decide to add an extending device to your network and you need help with configuration details.

Why is my airport extreme signal strength so weak on my macbook pro?

I live in a 4 story brownstone, next to neighbors with lots of wireless routers. My macbook pro (OS X 10.6.8) frequently is dropped from my airport extreme router. The strange thing is, the macbook receives a much stronger connection to my next door neighbor's wireless router (which is behind 2 brick walls, and down 1 floor) than it does to my airport extreme router - located 15 feet to my right with no interfering walls. In fact, I can stay solidly connected to my neighbor's router even when I'm 2 floors above him.
There are 4 other devices in my house connected to my airport extreme router. All have no problems connecting.
An ipad, which moves around from floor to floor, even outside on my front stoop.
A stationary imac located 4 inches away from the router
A stationary brother laser printer, about 10 feet to the right of the router (no interfering walls)
A stationary lexmark inket printer, about 10 feet in front of the router (behind 1 partition wall)
What can I do to troubleshoot this?

Problem solved. My router had some significant interference from a neighbours router that is no longer an issue.

Weak Airport signal strength after MacBook upgrade to OS 10.5

Today, I finally upgraded my 13-inch 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook (2 gig RAM, 160 gig HD) to OS 10.5 from OS 10.4.11. After using install and archive to install the new system, I noticed the Airport signal was down to three bars from the usual four. After completing all the system updates to bring it up to 10.5.8, its still receiving only three bars. We're using a 2Wire wireless DSL modem for Internet service. I was getting the full four bars before the system upgrade, and my wife's 14" G4 iBook is still getting four bars.
What's going on here? Is there an available fix for this? Or am I doomed to going back to OS 10.4.11?
Roger

rmatile wrote:
Today, I finally upgraded my 13-inch 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook (2 gig RAM, 160 gig HD) to OS 10.5 from OS 10.4.11. After using install and archive to install the new system, I noticed the Airport signal was down to three bars from the usual four. After completing all the system updates to bring it up to 10.5.8, its still receiving only three bars. We're using a 2Wire wireless DSL modem for Internet service. I was getting the full four bars before the system upgrade, and my wife's 14" G4 iBook is still getting four bars.
Those bars are only an approximation of Wi-Fi signal strength. In Mac OS X 10.5 if you pull down the AirPort menu bar item while holding down an option key you'll see a value "RSSI", which is the actual signal strength. If you were using an AirPort base station, you could use AirPort Utility to see actual signal and noise levels.
In Mac OS X 10.4 I don't think that option key trick works, but you should be able to use the AirPort command-line utility, as describe in the electronic book "Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network" (http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/airport-n):
- Launch Terminal
- Type this command:
cd /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/\
Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/
- Type this command:
./airport -s
You'll see the "RSSI" value in one of the columns. If you compare the "RSSI" values for both OS versions, you may find the "RSSI" values more similar than the AirPort menu bar arcs suggest.
I have no financial connection to Take Control Books.

I just purchased a wireless connection for my Tivo but the signal strength from my airport express does not allow the tivo to load data. How do I increase the signal strength?

I just purchased a wireless N network adapter for the TIVO premier and am trying to use my apple airport express to connectand it is in the another room. I am only receiving one bar of strength on my network adapter. How can I raise the signal strength of my airport express.

There are several things that might help, not all of which would be feasible depending on your situation: (1) Move the TiVo unit and AirPort Express closer together. (2) Use another AirPort Express to "extend" the network of the first AirPort Express. Put the second AirPort Express half way between the first AirPort Express and the TiVo unit. (3) In the general case, Power-Line equipment might allow the TiVo unit to get a good signal, but it's likely that the Ethernet port of your AirPort Express is probably connected to your broadband modem, so that solution wouldn't work for you. (4) Changing the band or channel that the AirPort Express is using might help. If the TiVo unit is connection on the 5 GHz band, try one of the three-digit channels, which are allowed to use higher power.

IMac G5 AirPort Issues - Very poor signal strength.

Disclaimer: I am normally a PC user, but just bought a iMac G5 for my son's bedroom. Problem is that I am having a **** of a time getting the iMac to stay connected to my network long enough to download a newest OS update and in general, it is very slow downloading webpages...clearly not normal...at least I hope not.
My connection is Broadband DSL to my main PC equipped with a Linksys WRT54G Broadband Router. My 2nd PC is connected wirelessly and is much further away than my iMac, but gets better reception.
Therefore, what is the deal with my iMac??? It seems to be super slow downloading the large software updates and has often timed out as they have bogged down.
As a PC guy, I am wondering is it an internal antenna issue in the iMac G5 or is it something as simple as Wi-Fi (AirPort) setting?
If is is a lousy internal antenna, what can I do to boost my signal strength? I was thinking of disabling the Wireless and buying Gaming Console access point to hard wire to the ethernet port. Is that possible? Would AirPort Express device be good for anything?
Help...I am ready to return my first Apple and go with a Dell!!!
Solutions???

Thanks Rod. Your comments were very helpful...
Apologies for the dash of sarcasm, M., but these things usually are just that simple to get running, and your Dell jokes started me down that path you know . Yes, I should have resisted the temptation.
Screen orientation really can make a difference in a low signal situation. So can simply changing the channel on which your wireless router operates (have you tried that yet?). You also can't assume that because a computer in a neighbouring room gets gets adequate signal , the one that you are working on will too. Walls, power circuits, nearby electrical gear, etc etc can all have highly localised effects with this stuff.
If, as it appears, you have adequate signal strength (I thought you indicated initially that you didn't have) and the problem is not related to local interference on the channel which the router is using (that's why you need to try a different channel) , then its time to check other aspects of the setup, both of the router and the iMac. The problem could be caused at either end.
Lets take the router first. The WRT54G usually actually works pretty well with Macs. In some cases, however, it may need a firmware update from the Linksys site. There have been quite a few different models of this particular router produced, so you'll need to check the downloads section at Linksys support for the correct one.
The best people here to answer this sort of stuff are probably Henry B. and Frank Canzolino . They both spend much of their time over in the Airport forums. If a firmware update for the router , or a simple channel change, doesn't fix the problem then I'd try posting there with "WRT54G and iMac G5 AE " displaying in the subject line.
As far as toast goes, I personally recommend asking the power company to drop the voltage for a few minutes. Saves all that time wasted knob twiddling.
Cheers
Rod

Can I configure a wireless home network with two cable routers (both with separate connections to the same cable company)? Issue is poor signal strength even with multiple Airport Expresses added to the network.

I have a wireless home network consisting of a time capsule, two airport expresses and a cable modem. Even with this configuration I get a very weak signal in much of be condo - the walls, etc. are solid concrete. I want to see if I can add another separately connected cable modem and connect one of the existing airport express to it by Ethernet cable. If so, this would give me two wired hubs and greatly improve signal strength. I do not know if this configuration will in fact work or if I will just wind up with two, separate and unrelateable networks. Unfortunately, there is no way to run any additional Ethernet cable and I doubt simply adding more Airport Express will help. Thanks.

Try Ethernet over Power adapters.. these are very popular for your kind of environment.. being able to make non-wireless link to another area where you can setup a wireless access point.
Airport Express are not great for wireless power.. if you really have issues with wireless strength in a bad environment apple stuff is not the way to go.
The comparison chart here.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/bar/58-2_4-ghz-dn?see=P_F
This is their worst test location you can also see averages.. the latest airport extreme.. is there a long way down.. and that is a much better wireless device than Airport Express.
The Ubiquiti power AP is small cheap and designed for precisely this duty.. useless in an apple wireless network.. you will need to run ethernet or EOP adapters back to the main router.. but if the normal omni directional antennas don't provide enough signal you can get directional ones.. I suspect you can cover your whole apartment with a pair of these and high gain directional antenna.

Possible to add a non-Apple signal booster to Airport Extreme to improve signal strength?

Good day to you all.
This might seem like a weird question. I've just rencently purchased my first ever MacBook Pro to enter the Mac family
With it, I also bought an AirPort Extreme. Like others today, I've had a lot of trouble trying to get the thing set up. I somehow managed to get it working, but the signal strength in the far room of the house is too weak.
I suppose I could just get a better Wi-fi adapter for that computer to pick up the better signals, but, my question is:
I have a signal booster (repeater?) from Cisco/Linksys that I used for my Cisco/lynksys router. It would connect to the network and bounce that signal from that base off to improve the signal strength to the rest of the house. It worked like a charm. So, my question is is it at all possible to connect a non-apple booster like this to the network to bounce the signal?
I assume it would work, but thought I'd ask anyway just to be sure; to check if anyone else knows about this. I'm going to try sometime soon if this works, but would love to know what others think.
Thank you very much for your time and help!!

Ah, yes. Good idea. Well, in a few year's time, we'll probably move on to better devices, but, for those who do have something that isn't Apple...I encourage you to try it.
I'm using the Cicsco/Lynksys Range Extender that I believe is simply called RE1000; mine was refurbished, too.
Anyway, it came with a set up disc that I'm not entirely sure if it works on a Mac computer. I didn't try it.
You'll run the set up disc (somehow), make sure you follow the instructions on the screen, and it should allow the RE1000 to find the network you created using the AirPort. Once the set up is complete, it'll ask you to move the RE1000 to another electrical outlet in your house that can take the signal and bounce it to a wider area of your house, and presumably the neighborhood (secure your network).
Seemed to work without a hitch. So, if you're not using an Apple range extender (another AirPort type thing), hopefully this helps you. It did work for me, otherwise I would have taken the AP Extreme back for a refund haha

Strange signal strength values reported by Airport Utility

I am finding some strange signal strength values displayed by the Airport Utility (under the "Advanced" tab):
Client Signal Noise Rate Type
1 -24 -95 54 802.11b/g iPod Touch
2 -59 -90 130 802.11b/g/n MacBook Pro
3 -24 -95 54 802.11b/g Dell laptop
4 -24 -95 117 802.11b/g/n Airport Express
The four wireless devices are all approximately the same distance (about 4 metres) from my base station (another Airport Express).
What seems odd is that:
- Three of the devices show EXACTLY the same signal strength (-24 dBm signal, -95 dBm noise). The graphs are dead straight lines with no wiggles. If I move the iPod away, for example, to a distance of 10 metres, the figures remain at exactly -24/-95.
- The MacBook Pro values behave in a much more reasonable way. The graph has small random fluctuations (and an occasional large peak). If I move the MacBook further away, the signal level drops, as you would expect.
I should be interested to know why the values displayed by Airport Utility make sense for the MacBook, but appear to be nonsense for the other three devices.

The signal strength values now behave as expected. This was probably a result of a Mac OS X update or Airport firmware update. So, I am marking this issue as answered.

Time Capsule/Airport Signal Strength

I have a Time Capsule serving as cable modem ethernet router for wireless internet connection to my MacBook Pro. It works fine all over the house including upstairs at the other end of the place. When I go outside (comparable overall distance), I lose almost all signal strength. I assume it is a brick and mortar problem. What can I do to boost the signal from the TC so that I can connect outside?

Welcome to the discussions!
Take a look at the AirPort Express to extend your wireless network, and if you elect to go that route, be prepared to experiment with different locations for the Express to optimize the signal strength outside.
If the room adjacent to the outside area has a good signal indoors, that might be a good starting location for the Express.
Use your laptop to get an idea of signal strength as you move around the house. Just hold down the option key while you click on the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen and look for the Transmit Rate.
You can also download iStumbler, www.istumbler.net to provide even more details about your network in terms of signal strength and noise.

Signal strength from Airport Express dropping to imac (but not Macbook)

I have an Airport Extreme to control my home wireless network. My Macbook Pro works all over the house with no reception/signal strength problems. But my imac, which is situated about 15/18metres away is dropping signal all the time. Any ideas or advice please?
Cheers
Simon

The antenna opening for the iMac is on the back of the screen, so make sure that the iMac is not pushed back into a cabinet or even a corner of the room. Sometimes a small change in location will make a big difference in reception.
Also check to make sure that you do not have other electronics near the iMac like a cordless phone, ampliifer, satellite receiver, TV, etc.
If the iMac is near a window, it may be picking up wireless interference from another network in the neighborhood near you. Try to move the iMac away from the window to a different location.
Power off the iMac and restart after any change in location so that it will establish a new connection.
If you try everthing and the results seem to be the same, then you might want to think about taking the iMac to an Apple store in your area to let them have a look and check out the wireless card in the device.

Incredibly Variable Airport Signal Strength

I'm getting very inconsistant Airport reception on my 17" MBP, which is on my desk - about 12 meters from a Netgear Router.
As I type this message I get two bars, three bars, no bars, four bars, two bars, (all within 10 seconds). My wife's Mac mini (which is approx 3ft closer to the router) has a rock solid four bars.
Looking at the signal strength in "Internet Connect" the signal's all over the place - from 0% to about 80% and all points in-between. And randomly it drops out altogether for a moment or two.
I moved the router and changed the antenna for a directional one (which improved the average strength of the signal but not the stability); I've tried different channels; I've tried facing the MBP in different directions.
It's a little annoying, 'cause if I hit a website just as the signal drops out I get a "not connected to the internet" message.
Is this just a quirk of signals strength and atmospheric pressure? Or is there something fundamental that I've missed? We don't have a microwave, and I can't think of any other sources of inteference. And to get the router any closer would require quite a bit of rewiring - which seems to be somewhat contrary to the whole point of wireless networking!
Shall I give it up and run a cable from my wife's computer?

b and g are both on 2.4GHz although b seems impacted more by cordless phones and other devices for some reason.
I just upgraded my home net to g and the signal on this MBP is much more consistent (solid 4 bars mostly) and the range is 20-30 feet better.
One thing I did notice before upgrading was that Airport was more 'robust' when I turned off Bluetooth ...

Will signal strength or internet speed suffer when using a Generation 1 Time Capsule and wireless extending a network with a Generation 5 Airport Extreme

I have a wireless network in my home and I have a Time Capsule 1st generation and a Airport Extreme 5th Generation, will this cause my internet to be slow or have glitches with signal strength?

We've gone over this in the other thread.
If the Time Capsule will be connecting using wireless only, everything depends on the quality of the connection between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.
The quality of the connection will be affected by the distance that the Time Capsule is located from the AirPort Extreme and any obstructions in the signal path.
If you have a ceiling between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, then you should expect the signal arriving at the Time Capsule to have lost 30-40% of its bandwidth (speed). So, the Time Capsule can only repeat the weaker signal that it receives.
Other walls or other obstructions like heavy furniture, large mirrors, etc will also affect the wireless signal as well as cordless phones and other wireless networks around you.
If you are lucky enough to have line-of-sight between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, then the wireless connection between those devices can work quite well. Few of us have this luxury, and must settle for significant compromises in performance.
If the wireless connection between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule does the job for you reliably, then you can leave things as is. If you are not getting the reliable performance that you need, then you will need to establish a wired Ethernet connection between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.
As you might imagine, there is virtually no signal loss in a wire, even up to 300+ feet or 100 meters.

Airport signal strength varies a lot

On my Mac Mini the Airport signal strength goes up and down. Sometimes I have 4 bars, sometimes 0. Also I often lose the connection when I restart or wake up the computer and then I have to do something manually to connect, either turn off and on airport or go into airport preferences and click apply or manually reconnect by typing in the network name and password.
I have a closed/invisible Airport network with WPA2 Personal encryption. I have an Airport Extreme on the ground floor and extend the network by an Airport Express on the first floor. The Mac Mini is situated about half a meter from the Express.
I don't have this problem with any of my other 4 Macs. The other Macs are usually on the ground floor but when I take my laptop up to the living room where the Mini and Express are I also get good signal strength even though I'm further away from the Express than the Mini is.

So the problem is that you're not getting/staying connected now, when you had no problems with 10.5.6 before?
There was an update for AirPort and AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule firmware in mid-2009 --> http://support.apple.com/kb/dl849
There was also a March 2009 update for AirPort Client on 10.5.6, but I would assume that you got that one already.
The 'bars' on the menubar AirPort icon may not be most reliable method of judging your wireless connection. When you have AirPort turned on, click on Option + the AirPort icon to see the RSSI
There are specialized programs that provide far more complete information, including channel, signal strength, and noise level of wireless routers in the vicinity.
www.koingosw.com offers a 15-day free trial of AirRadar. I'm a licensed user of AirRadar 1.2.9. It gives a better picture of a wireless connection.

Airport menu signal strength

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